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2.Huck escapes and finds a friend
Mostly it was a lazy, comfortable kind of life, 
but after about two months Pop began to hit me too much with his stick. 
He often went away into town too, and then he always locked me in the hut. 
Once he was away for three days and I thought I was never going to get out again.
When he came back that time, he was drunk and angry. 
He wanted my money, but Judge Thatcher wouldn't give it to him. 
The judge wanted to send me to live with the widow again. Pop told me. 
I wasn't very pleased about that. I didn't want to go back there.
So I decided to escape and go down the river and live in the woods somewhere. 
When Pop was out, I began to cut a hole in the wooden wall of the hut. 
In a few days, when the hole was bigger, I could take the wood out, escape through the hole, and put the wood back.
One morning Pop sent me down to the river to catch some fish for breakfast. 
To my surprise, there was a canoe in the water and there was no one in it. 
Immediately, I jumped into the river and brought the canoe to the side. 
It was lucky that Pop didn't see me, and I decided to hide the canoe under some trees and use it when I escaped.
That afternoon. Pop locked me in and went off to town. 
‘He won't be back tonight,’ I thought, so I began to work hard at my hole. 
Soon I could get out through it, and I carried food and drink and Pop's gun down to the canoe. 
Then I put back the wood to hide the hole, took the gun and went into the woods. 
There I shot a wild pig and took it back to the hut with me. 
Next, I broke down the door with an axe. 
I carried the pig into the hut and put some of its blood on the ground. 
Then I put some big stones in a sack and pulled it along behind me to the river. 
Last of all, I put some blood and some of my hair on the axe. 
I left the axe in a corner of the hut and I took the pig down to the river.
‘They won't know it's only a pig in the river,’ I said to myself. ‘They'll think it's me.’
Then I took the canoe and went down the river to Jackson's Island. 
By then it was nearly dark, so I hid the canoe under some trees and went to sleep.
It was after eight o’clock when I woke up the next day and the sun was high in the sky. 
I was warm and comfortable and I didn't want to get up. 
Suddenly, I heard a noise up the river. 
Carefully, I looked through the trees, and I saw a boat full of people. 
There was Pop, Judge Thatcher, Tom Sawyer and his Aunt Polly and his brother Sid, and lots of others. 
They were looking for my body in the river. 
I watched them, but they didn't see me, and in the end they went away. 
I knew that nobody was going to come and look for me again. 
I found a good place under the trees to sleep and to put my things. 
Then I caught a fish and cooked it over a fire.
I lived like that for three days, and then I decided to have a look round the island. 
So I went into the woods. ‘This is my island,’ I thought. ‘I'm the only person on it.’
Suddenly, just in front of me, I saw a fire, and it was still smoking. 
There was somebody on my island! I didn't wait. I turned and went straight back. 
But I couldn't sleep. After a time, I said to myself, ‘I can't live like this. I must find out who it is.’
Silently, I moved along the river in my canoe, under the darkness of the trees. 
And then I stopped. Through the trees I could see the light of a fire. 
Afraid, I left my canoe and went nearer. There was a man lying by the fire.
Suddenly, he sat up and I saw that it was Jim, Miss Watson's slave! 
I was really happy to see him! ‘Hello, Jim,’ I cried, and I jumped out from behind the tree.
Jim fell to his knees. ‘Please don't hurt me!’ he cried. ‘I’ve always been good to dead people!’
‘It's all right, Jim. I'm not dead,’ I said. ‘But why are you here on the island?’ I asked.
‘Well, Huck,’ he began. ‘Old Miss Watson wanted to sell me. 
‘A man came into town and told Miss Watson that he'd buy me for eight hundred dollars. 
‘She couldn't say no, so I ran away. 
‘I ran down to the river to hide, but everybody in the town was there. 
‘They said you were dead, Huck. I had to wait all day to get away. 
‘When it was dark, I got on to a big boat and hid. 
‘When we came near this island, I jumped into the water and swam here.’
Jim finished his story and then we both carried all our things into a cave and hid the canoe under some trees. 
We were just in time because then the rains came. 
It rained for days, and the river got higher and higher. 
All kinds of things came down the river and one night there was a little wooden house, lying half on its side. 
We got the canoe out and went to take a look. 
Through the window we could see a bed, two old chairs and some old clothes. 
There was something lying in the corner and we thought it looked like a man. 
Jim went in to see, but he said, ‘He's dead. Someone shot him in the back. Don't look at his face, Huck. It's terrible!’
I didn't want to see the dead man's face, so I didn't look. 
We just took the old clothes and a few other things, and went back to our cave on the island.
Another night, when we were out looking for things on the river, we found a raft. 
It was made of good, strong wood, and was about four metres by five metres. 
‘This could be useful,’ I said to Jim, 
so we pulled it back to the island behind the canoe, and tied it up under the trees.

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7.Catherine Parr
We sat silently for a while. Outside it was beginning to get dark. 
Margaret looked at the floor, then at her hands, then at the floor again. 
I waited. I knew what she was thinking. 
Then suddenly she looked at me, and the questions came all at once.
‘How could you do it, my lady? How could you marry that terrible man? Weren't you afraid? Why didn't you hide... or... or run away?’
I smiled at her. ‘Listen to the full story, and then perhaps you'll understand. 
‘I was very different to Henry's other wives. I was thirty-one years old and Henry was my third husband. 
‘My first two husbands were old men too. They both died and I didn't have any children with them. 
‘But Herny didn't really want a wife, Margaret. He wanted a friend, and a nurse, and a mother for his three children.’ 
‘Oh, I see,’ said Margaret slowly. ‘He wanted someone to look after him. So how did it all happen, then?’
‘It began at a party at Hampton Court Palace. I remember it very well. 
‘While I was dancing with my friend Thomas Seymour, I turned round and saw Henry. His blue eyes were watching me. 
‘He was too ill to dance, but later that evening he asked to talk with me. I was a little afraid. 
‘I knew so many different stories about him. He was one of the most famous kings in Europe, 
‘and he was also famous for killing people who made him angry— Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, and many, many others. 
‘And of course, he was also very fat and ugly!
‘After that evening he began to send me presents, and he asked me to visit him at Hampton Court Palace.
‘At this time I was friendly with Thomas Seymour. He was a fine young man and I was in love with him. We talked about getting married. 
‘Then I got a letter from King Henry. He wanted to marry me. What could I do? 
‘I loved Thomas, but my family wanted me to be the Queen of England. And in the end, I had to marry Henry.’
‘But were you happy?’ asked Margaret.
‘Well, sometimes I was. I loved being Queen. I had beautiful clothes and expensive jewels. 
‘But it was also very difficult at times. 
‘Henry was often ill with his bad leg, and when his leg hurt, he became angry and shouted at me. 
‘Once he nearly sent me to the Tower. 
‘I said something about the Church of England, and he didn't agree with me and got very, very angry. 
‘He didn't say anything then, but a few days later his soldiers came to take me away.’
‘Oh no!’ said Margaret. ‘What did you do?’
‘I cried and cried. I told him that I agreed with his every word, and that he was my teacher and I was only a stupid woman. 
‘And then I cried some more, and said I didn't understand anything about the church. I only talked to help him forget his bad leg.’
‘And was that true?’ asked Margaret.
‘Of course not! But I had to say something, and after that we were friends again.’
‘So you didn't love him.’
‘No, I didn't, but I learned to like him some of the time. 
‘He was a clever and interesting man— and he was the King of England!’
‘And what about his three children?’
‘I felt sorry for them. They had a difficult and lonely life. I tried to be a good mother to them all. 
‘I was friendly with Princess Mary, played games with Elizabeth and young Edward, and helped them with their studies in different languages. 
‘Of course, Henry and I didn't have any children together.’
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. ‘Come in!’ I called. 
A young man walked into the room. He was holding some beautiful red and gold flowers.
‘These are for Catherine Parr,’ he said.
‘For me?’ I said. ‘Who are they from?’
‘There's a note here.’ He gave me a piece of paper, smiled, and left the room.
I read the note quickly.
Dear Catherine, you are my true love. You are my flower. I think of you every hour. I wait for you. Tom.
‘What does it say?’ asked Margaret.
‘I can't tell you,’ I laughed.
‘But who are the flowers from?’
‘Thomas Seymour.’
‘Oh, the young man who wanted to marry you before. Does he still love you? Are you going to marry him?’
‘I don't know, Margaret. Henry only died three weeks ago.’ 
I was silent for a minute, and then I said, ‘It's true, I still like Thomas. I often think about him. 
‘Some people say he's only interested in two things: women and money. But I don't believe them. 
‘He has enemies, you see, because he comes from a famous family. 
‘Jane Seymour was his sister, so Thomas is one of King Edward's uncles.’
‘Will Edward be a good king, do you think?’ asked Margaret.
‘Yes, I think so. He's a very clever child. He often writes me letters in different languages, and he's only nine years old. 
‘But I'm worried about him because he's often ill. England needs a strong king. 
‘Henry was a bad husband, but he was a strong King of England. If Edward dies, who knows what will happen?’
It was dark outside now. 
I looked at Margaret and said, ‘So, now you have heard all about King Henry and his six wives, 
‘and one day you can tell the story to your children and your grandchildren.’
‘I think that people will always remember King Henry because of his six wives,’ said Margaret. 
She opened the box and took out the letters. She looked at them, putting them back one by one into the box.
‘Divorced— beheaded— died— divorced— beheaded.’ she closed the box and looked at me. ‘And still alive!’
We both laughed. ‘What are you going to do with the letters, my lady?’ 
‘Nothing, Margaret. It will be our secret.’
Catherine Parr married Thomas Seymour in May 1547, a few months after Henry's death. 
They were married for fifteen months. 
Catherine had a baby girl called Mary, but six days after the baby was born, Catherine died. 
After her death, Thomas Seymour tried to become Princess Elizabeth's lover. He was beheaded because of this.
King Edward was often ill, and he died just before his sixteenth birthday. 
Then Mary, Katherine of Aragon's daughter, became Queen. 
She was Queen for five years. She married Philip of Spain, but did not have any children. 
Mary was a strong Catholic and she killed many people who were not Catholics.
Next, Elizabeth, Anne Boleyn's daughter, became Queen. 
She was Queen of England for forty-five years. 
This was the time of Shakespeare and Sir Walter Raleigh. 
Elizabeth was a very great Queen, but she never married, and had no children. 
Henry married six times because he wanted a son— and he wanted his son and his son's sons to be Kings of England after him. 
But when Queen Elizabeth died, King Henry's family came to an end, 
and a Scottish King became King of England.

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6.Katherine Howard
I took the last letter out of the box and held it in my hand while I answered Margaret's questions. 
She wanted to know everything. ‘And who was the King's fifth wife?’ she asked. 
‘Katherine Howard.’
‘Why did the King want to marry again?’
‘He still wanted to have another son, you see. A brother for Prince Edward.’
‘And how did he meet Katherine?’ asked Margaret.
‘She was one of the ladies at Queen Anne's palace, so Henry knew her already. 
‘She was only eighteen. Henry fell in love with her immediately.
‘He called her “his beautiful flower” and sent her many expensive presents— gold and jewels and fine dresses.’
‘But did she want to marry him?’
I smiled. ‘If the King of England wants to marry you, how do you say no? 
‘Henry was very much in love and he wanted to marry her immediately. 
‘The Howard family is an old and famous one, and they were very happy for Katherine to marry the King.’
‘Was he happy with his new Queen?’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘At first. She was young, beautiful, and exciting. Very different from Anne of Cleves.’
‘And did she learn to love the King?’
‘Who can say? But I don't think so. Henry was forty- nine, thirty years older than her. 
‘He was very, very fat and heavy. 
‘His face was more like a potato than ever, and his eyes were always half-closed. 
‘He had a very bad leg and often couldn't walk— and he was always angry when his leg hurt.’
Margaret looked at the letter in my hand. ‘I don't think that I would like to marry a fat old man with a bad leg who couldn't walk!' she said.
I laughed. ‘But the King's wife, remember, was also the Queen of England, the first lady in the country.’
‘Yes, that's true,’ said Margaret. ‘And did they have a son?’
‘No, they didn't. They weren't married for very long. 
‘Before Katherine married Henry, she had lovers. 
‘Henry didn't know this. He thought that he was Katherine's first lover. 
‘And about six months after Katherine married Henry, she began to see another man called Thomas Culpeper. 
‘He was tall and handsome. Katherine wrote love letters to him, and they met secretly at night.’
‘What a dangerous thing to do,’ said Margaret. 
‘Katherine wasn't very clever, I'm afraid.’
‘And people saw her and began to talk about it, and somebody told the King...
‘One of his friends wrote it all down in a letter, and put the letter into Henry's hand when he was in church.’
‘Oh dear,'said Margaret. ‘So then...’ Already she knew what happened next.
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Henry was wildly angry. He talked, people say, about taking a sword and cutting off her head himself. 
‘But he sent Thomas Culpeper to prison, and soon after he sent Katherine to the Tower.’
‘Like Anne Boleyn, years before,’ said Margaret.
‘Let's see what her letter says,’ I said, opening it. 
‘The writing is very untidy— I think she wrote this in a hurry.’
Tower of London 11th February 1541
Dear Henry
Please forgive me! I didn't want to make you unhappy and angry. Believe me!
It's true that when I was a young girl, I was friendly with different young men. I was so young and stupid. 
I also spent a lot of time with Thomas Cuipeper when I was your wife. But believe me, Henry, I didn't know what I was doing. 
Remember, I am only twenty years old now. You are so much older than me, and you understand much more about the world.
Please, Henry, please, please help me! Don't send me to my death! 
I am so afraid here in the Tower— I pray day and night that you will come and take me away.
How can you kill your beautiful flower? 
They tell me that in two days’ time they will cut off my head... Henry, I don't want to die! 
Please let me live a little longer... please! Just a few weeks... a few days... 
Please, Henry, please...
Your unhappy wife Katherine Howard
When I finished reading the letter, Margaret was silent. 
Perhaps she could hear Katherine Howard's cries and see her white face.
I put the letter away, and Margaret looked at me. ‘There aren't any more letters, are there?’ she said.
‘No,’ I said. ‘That was the last letter.’

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5.Anne of Cleves
After lunch we sat and talked for a while. 
Uncle William was very interested in the letters. ‘So which letter are you going to read next?’ he asked. 
‘The one from Anne of Cleves,’ I replied.
‘Oh yes, Henry's ugly wife. When I first saw her, I thought she looked just like a horse! And the King thought that too!’
‘A horse?’ said Margaret. ‘So how did she become the King's wife?’
‘It's a long story. Do you want to hear it?’[]‘Yes, please,’ said Margaret, smiling.
‘Well, after poor Queen Jane died, Henry was very sad and lonely. 
‘He wanted a new wife, and he wanted a second son. 
‘Children can die at any time, and Edward wasn't strong. 
‘So everybody looked for a beautiful young woman to be the new Queen. 
‘Then someone told Henry about Anne of Cleves, a German Princess. 
‘They said that she was beautiful, young, and clever. 
‘And at that time the King wanted to please the Germans, because he was angry with the French. 
‘That all changed later, of course.
‘Henry couldn't go and see Anne for himself, so he sent his artist Holbein to paint a picture of her. 
‘Holbein painted a fine picture of Anne and sent it back to Henry. Henry
immediately fell in love with the beautiful woman in the picture and decided to marry her. 
‘So Anne sailed to England, and on her way to London she stopped for the night at a small town called Rochester. 
‘Henry couldn't wait for Anne to arrive in London so he travelled secretly to Rochester to meet her. She knew nothing about this.
‘When Henry arrived at her house, he wasn't wearing his fine clothes and he didn't look like a king. 
‘He knocked on the door and went into her room. Oh dear! Poor Henry was very surprised. 
‘This wasn't the beautiful woman in the picture. She had a sad face and a long nose, and she wasn't very interested in this strange man. 
‘He didn't tell her his name, and she didn't understand that this was her new husband. 
‘What a terrible mistake!
‘Poor Henry went away to put on his fine clothes, and came back looking like a real king. 
‘Anne now saw that this strange man was her new husband. 
‘Henry kissed Anne and said his name. Poor Anne smiled at him, but she couldn't speak any English so she stayed silent. 
‘After a few minutes Henry left. He was really unhappy. 
‘His new wife wasn't beautiful, and she couldn't say a word to him!’
‘Oh dear.’ said Margaret. She was enjoying this story very much. ‘What happened next?’
‘Well, Henry decided that he really didn't want to marry Anne. 
‘Where was the beautiful young woman in the picture? He wanted her! 
‘But he couldn't change things. He had to marry ugly Anne.’
‘And did the King learn to love her?’ asked Margaret. []‘No, he didn't. He wanted to divorce her.’
‘And did he?’[]‘Yes, after six months.’[]‘How did he do that?’
‘Well, he learned that in her country Anne was engaged at one time to marry another man.’
‘And so he divorced her?’[]‘Yes, poor Anne was only Queen for six months.’
‘And they didn't have any children, did they?’[]‘No, Henry didn't sleep with Anne.’
‘But what happened to her? Is she still alive?’
‘Oh yes. But let's read her letter and see what she says.’
‘Perhaps it's a love letter,’ said Margaret.
‘If it is, I'm sure that she never got a reply!’ said Uncle William, laughing. 
He opened the letter and began to read.
Palace of Richmond 20th July 1540
Dear Henry[]You are a very good brother to me! 
Thank you for giving me five hundred pounds a year and the Palace of Richmond. 
I spend hours walking round the gardens here— the trees and flowers are wonderful.
I have decided that I shall not go back to my country. 
I have thought about it carefully, and I know now that England is my real home. 
I feel so happy here. How can I leave all my dear English friends and my beautiful garden?
Come and visit me soon, dear brother.[]Your loving sister Anne
‘She sounds really happy,’ said Margaret, surprised.
‘I think she is,’ said Uncle William. ‘She didn't make trouble for the King about her divorce, 
‘so he was pleased with her. And then, of course, he was free to marry his next wife.’
‘The fifth one,’ said Margaret. ‘And who was she?’
‘Catherine will tell you all about her. I must leave you now, ladies.’ He stood up, and came to kiss me goodbye.
‘Goodbye, Uncle,’ I said. ‘Come again soon.’
‘Oh, I will. I'd like to read the rest of those letters.’ 
He looked at Margaret. ‘Be good, young lady.’ He smiled at us both and left the room.

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4.Jane Seymour
‘People say that Princess Elizabeth is very  clever,’ said Margaret. ‘Is that true, my lady?’ 
‘Yes, it is. She's only thirteen years old, but she can read and write in four languages already.’
Margaret's face was sad. ‘I only know one language,’ she said. ‘And I can't read or write it.’
‘But you have a mother and father who are alive,’ I said quickly. 
‘You don't have enemies who watch you all the time, or who want to send you far away to marry a stranger— 
‘perhaps an old man who drinks too much, and keeps a mistress!’
‘Will that happen to Princess Elizabeth?’ margaret asked, her eyes round.
‘Perhaps. Who knows? A princess doesn't always have an easy life, you know.’ I laughed. 
‘But Elizabeth is clever. I think she'll get what she wants in life. 
‘Now, let's go outside, while the sun is shining. We'll take the next letter with us.’
We walked down through the garden to the river. There we sat on a seat and watched the boats.
‘So Jane Seymour was the third wife,’ said Margaret. ‘When did the King marry her?’
‘Just ten days after Anne's death.’[]‘That was very quick!’
‘Yes, Henry always knew what he wanted. And he usually wanted things immediately.’
‘And was Jane the same as Anne Boleyn?’
‘No, Jane was very different. She was quiet and careful. 
‘Before she married the King, she was never alone with him. 
‘Her brother Edward was always with her when the King came to visit. 
‘And Henry was pleased to see that. He didn't want another wild and dangerous wife like Anne.’
‘How do you know so much about the King and his other wives?’ asked Margaret.
‘I have lived for many years in palaces, Margaret,’ I said, smiling. 
‘And palaces are full of people, coming and going, talking in corners, telling secrets. 
‘If you listen, it's not difficult to learn things.’
‘So was Jane a nicer person than Anne?’
‘I think she was. She was very kind to Henry's daughters, Princess Mary and Princess Elizabeth. She was like a mother to both of them. 
‘Jane was clever too, and she quickly learnt to listen to Henry. She didn't try to tell him what to do. 
‘And with her brown hair and white face, she also looked very different to Anne Boleyn.’
‘And what about the King at this time? Was he still handsome?’
‘Oh no, he was beginning to get fat and his face was just like a big potato! Not like the picture in Whitehall Palace.’
‘But was he happy?’ asked Margaret.
‘Yes, I think he really loved Jane. And of course, she also gave him a baby boy, who is now our King Edward.’
‘A son at last for the King! But what happened to Jane? Did he get tired of her too, or was she the one who died?
‘Yes, she died soon after Edward was born.’
‘How sad! She gave the King a son and then she died.’ 
‘Let's read the letter now.’ I opened it and a piece of brown hair fell out. I showed it to Margaret.
‘What soft hair,’ she said, touching it. ‘Is it Jane's?’ 
‘Yes, I think so.’ I began to read...
Hampton Court Palace 22nd October 1537
Dear Henry[]The doctors and my women tell me that I shall feel better tomorrow, but I can see in their faces that it is not true. 
I cannot sleep or eat, and a fire burns in my body day and night. I know that I shall soon be dead.
But I have given you a son, Henry, and I can die happy, knowing that Edward will be King after you. 
I will never see the day when he becomes King, but I pray that God will give him a long and happy life.
Please look after dear Edward and tell him all about me. 
Here is a piece of my hair— a small present from a dying mother to her baby son.
I am too ill to write more and must say goodbye.[]Your loving wife and queen Jane
I put the letter away, and looked at Margaret. 
‘She had a very difficult time when the baby was born, you see. 
‘It took three days and two nights before the baby arrived. Poor Jane was very tired and ill. 
‘She died twelve days later, very soon after this letter.’
‘How terrible,’ said Margaret. She touched the piece of Jane's hair again. ‘And was the King sad?’
‘Oh yes. He was very unhappy. He shut himself away in the palace for weeks. 
‘All England was sad, and every church in the country said prayers for poor Queen Jane.
‘She was buried at Windsor, and Henry is now buried next to her.’
Just then Uncle William came up behind us.
‘Ah, Uncle,’ I said. ‘Let's go in and have some lunch.’

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Henry Ⅷ and His Six Wives亨.利.八.世.和.他.的.六.位.妻.子
1.King Henry is dead
My name is Catherine Parr. 
A month ago I was the Queen of England, the wife of King Henry the Eighth. 
Henry died and we buried him last week in St George's Church, Windsor. 
Two days ago, on 16th February 1547, 
I went back to the palace of Whitehall, which was once my home. 
I wanted to take my letters and books and bring them back to my house.
Margaret, my new maid, came to the palace with me. 
She's very young and doesn't know a lot about the world. 
She has only just come up to London from her home in Somerset. 
Perhaps I was like her when I was twelve. 
I, too, was always asking questions and wanting answers immediately.
When we arrived at the palace, it was cold and dark. We walked into Henry's room. 
I sat down in one of Henry's large chairs in front of his wooden writing desk and looked at the pictures around the room. 
Next to me there was a big picture of Henry, when he was young. 
He was very handsome then, not like the fat old man he was later. 
I thought his blue eyes were watching me. 
I turned to Margaret and said: ‘You see that picture of the King? 
‘That's what he was like when he was young— tall and strong and handsome.
‘People say that he never got tired. 
‘He could go out riding all day, changing his horses nine or ten times, and then he could dance all night. 
‘He was clever, too; he could speak five languages. 
‘Will people remember him like that, or will they only remember him because he had six wives?’
‘Did he really have so many wives?’ said Margaret.
‘Yes, of course. I thought that everyone knew that.’ 
Margaret looked away and said, ‘We didn't get much news from London at home, and my family's house is a long way from the nearest village.’
‘It doesn't matter,’ I said, smiling. ‘One day. I'll tell you the story of my husband Henry's life.’
On the desk in front of me there was a wooden box with a large gold H on the top. 
I opened it slowly and took out some old letters. 
Each letter was in different writing and some of them were old and yellow. 
One letter had a picture of a large bird on it. It was from Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn.
‘Margaret!’ I said. ‘I’ve found some letters from Henry's other wives. 
‘There's also a beautiful gold necklace and a small piece of hair.’ 
I looked at another letter. ‘Here's one old letter from his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. She was married to him for a very long time.’
‘She only had one child, didn't she?’ said Margaret. 
‘Yes, only Princess Mary is still alive. There were five other children, but they were all born too early and died.’
Again I looked at the letter with the picture of the bird on it. ‘Have you heard of Anne Boleyn, Margaret?’
‘Yes, my mother talked about her. She said she was a very bad woman.’
‘Well, that's what some people say. Anne was the mother of Henry's second daughter. Princess Elizabeth. 
‘Look,’ I said. ‘This one is from Katherine Howard, Henry's fifth wife. 
‘Both Anne and Katherine were beheaded in that terrible prison, the Tower of London.’
‘Why did the King send them to their deaths?’ asked Margaret. She looked afraid.
‘They had many enemies, who told the King that they had lovers. 
‘Perhaps the stories were true, I don't know. But the King believed them.’
I looked at another letter. ‘This one is from Jane Seymour. She was the third wife 
‘and the mother of Henry's only living son. He is now our King, Edward the Sixth.’ 
‘Was Jane Seymour beheaded too?’ asked Margaret.
‘No, poor Queen Jane died soon after Edward was born.’
I looked at the last, short letter. ‘Look, a letter from Anne of Cleves, Henry's fourth wife.’
‘Did she have any children?’ asked Margaret.
‘No,’ I laughed. ‘Henry thought that Anne was very ugly and he didn't want her to be the mother of his children.’
Margaret was silent. Then she said, ‘King Henry sounds like a terrible husband.’
‘He wasn't all bad, Margaret. There were good times, too. 
‘He was clever at so many things— horse-riding and tennis, writing and playing music. 
‘He wrote many beautiful songs, and he had a wonderful singing voice. 
‘But it's true that he wasn't very kind to his wives.’
Margaret looked at the box. ‘So why did he keep these letters from them?’ she asked.
‘Oh, you ask so many questions, Margaret! I don't know. Perhaps each letter says something important.’
I looked up and saw that it was nearly dark. It was time to go home to Chelsea Manor. 
I put the letters back inside the box. ‘Come, Margaret, we must go now.’
‘But can't we read the letters?’ she asked.
‘We'll take them with us and read them tomorrow.’

很抱歉，有些故事的个别章系统提示收到投诉需要下架，我也不清楚这是一个什么流程，但肯定的是只要被判定下架的声音，重新上传很快会被再次河蟹，跟着每章更新的朋友及时听的话应该还好，如果有后来的朋友发现章数缺失的话真的只能说抱歉了。

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6.Dracula must die
The next day Van Helsing, Jack Seward, Arthur, and I made our plans. 
Mina was there too. She was very pale, but she wanted to help us. 
We knew that we had to kill Dracula before Mina died.
‘If we don't,’ Van Helsing said, ‘Mina will die and will be a vampire for ever. 
‘I have been back to the Count's house this morning, and the last coffin has gone. 
‘We must find it. Count Dracula will be in it during the day. 
‘If we can find him before dark, we can kill him.’
‘But where is it now?’ I asked wildly.
Of course, we did not know the answer. But then Mina spoke. 
‘I feel that I am half a vampire already, and sometimes strange thoughts come into my head. 
‘I think that these thoughts are Count Dracula's. 
‘Just now, when you were speaking, I thought that I could hear the sound of a ship moving through water.’
‘Of course!’ cried Van Helsing. ‘Dracula has decided to leave England! 
‘He knows now that we are his enemies and that it is dangerous for him here. 
‘So he is going back to Transylvania— by ship! 
‘We must find out which ships left for the Black Sea last night.’
At the London shipping office we learnt that one ship sailed for Varna in the Black Sea the night before. 
We also learnt of a passenger who arrived at the last minute— a tall thin man in black. 
He had a pale face, burning eyes, and a very red mouth. And he had with him a long box!
‘So,’ said Van Helsing. ‘The ship will take about three weeks to sail to Varna, 
‘but we will take the train across Europe and get there much faster. We leave tomorrow!’
We left London on a cold October day and four days later we were in Varna. 
We made our plans, and waited for the ship to arrive. 
Every day Mina told us that she could still hear the sound of water. 
But three weeks went by, and the ship did not arrive. 
Then, at last, we had news— the ship was not coming to Varna, and was already at Galatz!
We took the first train to Galatz, but we were too late. The box was no longer on the ship. 
‘Someone came and took it this morning,’ one of the sailors told us.
We hurried back to our hotel to tell my dear Mina the news, 
but we saw that she knew it already, and her face was white with fear. 
‘He has gone,’ she said quietly, ‘and he is taking me with him. 
‘Oh my dear friends! Before I  change into a vampire, you must kill me! 
‘Then you must do what you did to poor Lucy, to give me rest. Tell me that you will do this for me!’
I held her hands, but I could not speak. 
If that day ever comes, I don't know how I shall live through it.
Later, while Mina slept, we tried to make new plans.
‘She is right,’ said Van Helsing unhappily. ‘Our poor Mina is in great danger. 
‘She is already beginning to change— her teeth are getting longer and sharper, 
‘and when the Count reads her thoughts, her eyes are hard and cold. 
‘We must find him and kill him— before it is too late!’
I can remember little of the next few days. I was wild with fear and anger. 
We learnt that the Count's coffin was travelling by boat up the river, and Jack Seward, Arthur, and I began to follow in another boat. 
Van Helsing took my Mina with him in a carriage, and they began to drive across the mountains to Castle Dracula. 
When I said goodbye to her, my heart was breaking. Perhaps I shall never see her again.
We followed the Count's boat for five days, but we could not catch it. 
Then we learnt from some villagers that he was now travelling by road, so we bought horses and rode like the wind through the night.
By late afternoon on the next day, we were getting near to Castle Dracula. 
‘We must ride faster!’ I cried to the others. 
The sun was beginning to go down and then, suddenly, we saw on the road in front of us some men with a cart. And on the back of the cart was the coffin.
I had only one thought in my head— to kill the vampire, to finish him for ever. 
Arthur and Jack were right behind me when I got to the cart. 
I jumped from my horse onto the cart, and while Jack and Arthur fought the driver and the other men, I pushed the coffin to the ground. 
It fell and broke open. Count Dracula lay there, and the last light from the sun fell on his terrible face. 
His eyes burned red and they looked at me in hate. 
In a few seconds, when the sun went down, he would be free to move. 
I jumped down to the ground, held my knife high over his heart, and brought it down as hard as I could. 
It went straight through the vampire's heart. 
Count Dracula gave a horrible scream, and then lay quiet. 
In the same second the sun went down, and when we looked into the coffin again, it was empty...
Above us on the hill was Castle Dracula, and soon we saw Van Helsing. 
He hurried down the hill to us, and my dear Mina was with him. 
I ran to her and took her in my arms. Her lovely face was bright and happy again. 
‘It's all right, my love,’ she said softly. ‘We found the tombs of the three vampire women. 
‘They cannot hurt us now, and Dracula is dead at last! We can begin to live again.’

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Jonathan Harker's Diary
5.Mina in danger
Some days after Mina got the letter from Arthur, with the news of Lucy's death, she had another letter. 
This was from Professor Van Helsing, a friend of Arthur's. 
In it he wrote, ‘I know, from your letters to Lucy, that you were her dearest friend. 
‘I would very much like to meet you, to talk about the time when you were with Lucy at Whitby.’
So the Professor came to see us at our house, and we learnt the full story of poor Lucy's terrible death. 
Then Mina gave Van Helsing my diary to read, and he learnt about my time at Castle Dracula. 
He was very excited. ‘Ah!’ he cried. ‘Now I begin to understand so many things! 
‘This Count Dracula— he was the vampire that killed poor Miss Lucy. Will you help us to find him?’
Of course, Mina and I agreed to help. When I saw Count Dracula in London, I was very afraid, 
but now I felt stronger because I had work to do.
We began at once. 
Mina went to stay with Jack Seward at his house, to tell him and Arthur all about the Count, and I went to Whitby. 
I wanted to find out about the coffins that were in the ship on the night of the storm— the ship that brought Count Dracula to England. 
After many questions, I learnt that the coffins were now in the Count's house in London.
I hurried back to London and to Jack Seward's house. 
When I told Van Helsing this news, he called us all together, and said, ‘Now the danger begins. 
‘I have learnt much about vampires from old books, and I know that they can come out only at night. 
‘During the day they are like dead bodies and must have a place to hide. 
‘I think that Count Dracula uses his coffins for his daytime hiding- places. 
‘If we can find him in a coffin, we can kill him. 
‘But let's go to his house tonight. We'll put holy bread in the coffins, and then the Count cannot get back into them. 
‘He'll then have no place to hide during the day, and he will be weaker, and easier to fight when we find him.’
So that night Van Helsing, Jack, Arthur, and I went out together to the Count's house. 
Mina, of course, did not come with us. 
I was afraid to leave her alone, but she said that there was more danger for us than for her.
Jack had some old keys with him, and with one of these we got into the house. 
It was old and dirty, and the smell of blood was everywhere. 
We walked through the cold, empty rooms and at last we found the coffins.
From his bag Van Helsing took some holy bread.
‘We must put a piece of this in each coffin,’ he said.
We worked hard. It took a long time to break open each coffin and put holy bread inside. 
We were just opening the last coffin when Van Helsing gave a cry. ‘We are too late! The Count is coming!’
We looked up from our work and saw Count Dracula. 
He came through the dark room like a black cloud. 
His angry face was white and his eyes burned like red fires. 
Van Helsing held out his gold cross, and the Count stopped. 
Afraid for our lives, we ran from the house.
‘Quick!’ cried Van Helsing. ‘We must get back! Now he has seen us, Mina may be in danger!’
My heart nearly stopped when I heard this. ‘Oh, Mina!’ I  cried silently. ‘I cannot lose Mina!’
But when we got back to Jack's house, everything was quiet. 
I ran upstairs. The bedroom door was locked. 
I called out to my friends. ‘Help me! Oh, help me!’
Together we broke down the door— and then my blood ran cold. 
A tall dark man was standing in the moonlight, by the window. 
In his arms he held my wife, my Mina! 
Her white nightdress had blood on it, and her face lay against Count Dracula. 
Blood dropped from his mouth, and he was holding Mina to him while she drank his blood!
I ran to her and tried to pull him away from her. 
Van Helsing ran at the Count and held up his gold cross.
When he saw the cross. Count Dracula moved back and dropped Mina's body. 
She gave a terrible cry and fell across the bed. 
A cloud moved across the moon, and when the moon came from behind it. Count Dracula was not there.
‘Oh, Mina, my love!’ I cried. I took her in my arms. ‘What has happened? Tell us!’ I was wild with fear.
Mina shivered. ‘Don't leave me!’ she cried. ‘Oh, please don't leave me!’
Her face was pale, and we could see two little wounds on her neck. 
She put her head in her hands and gave a long, terrible scream. ‘Stay with me!’ she cried.
And I held her in my arms until the first light of day showed in the east.

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Jack Seward's Story
4.Lucy's death
When I heard from Arthur the terrible news of Lucy's strange illness, I went to her immediately. 
I could see that she was very ill. She lay in bed all day and did not move. 
She was as white as a ghost and she was very thin. 
When night came, she was afraid to sleep, and in the morning, on her neck there were two strange little wounds.
I did not know what was wrong with Lucy. She was losing blood. 
But how? Was it through these two little wounds in her neck?
I decided to send for my old teacher Professor Van Helsing from Holland. Perhaps he could help.
He came immediately, and when he saw how ill Lucy was, he said, ‘We must give her blood at once.’
‘She can have my blood!’ cried Arthur. ‘All of it— to the last drop!’
Van Helsing was right. With Arthur's blood in her, Lucy began to get better immediately. 
But before he left. Van Helsing did one more thing. 
He brought some flowers with a very strong smell, and he put a circle of them round Lucy's neck. 
‘My dear,’ he said, ‘these are garlic flowers. Do not take them from your neck tonight, and do not open your window.’
Van Helsing had to return to Holland for a few days and before he left, he told us: 
‘You must watch Lucy every night, and be sure that she wears the garlic flowers.’
Lucy's mother was ill herself— her heart was not strong— 
and Arthur had to go back home because his father was dying. 
So for a week I watched over Lucy myself at night, 
and sometimes, when I sat by her bed, I heard strange noises at the window. 
Perhaps it was a tree, or the wind, I thought.
I was working at my hospital during the day, and after a week I was very tired, so one night I did not go to Lucy's house. 
I needed to sleep, and I knew that Lucy's mother and the servants were there. 
Also, Van Helsing sent new garlic flowers every day, for Lucy to wear at night.
The next morning at the hospital I had a note from Van Helsing. 
‘Watch Lucy carefully tonight,’ he wrote. ‘I shall be with you tomorrow.’ 
But that was now today! The note was too late!
I did not wait for breakfast, but hurried to the house immediately. 
I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. 
Just then Van Helsing arrived. ‘What happened?’ he cried. 
‘Did you not get my note? Quick! Perhaps we are already too late!’
We knocked again, but there was still no answer. 
We went round to the back of the house and Van Helsing broke the kitchen window and we went in.
It was dark in the kitchen, but we could see the bodies of the four servants on the floor. They were not dead, but asleep. 
‘Someone put something in their drinks,’ said Van Helsing. ‘Come! We must find Lucy. If we are not too late!’
We ran up to Lucy's room, and stopped outside it. 
With white faces and shaking hands, we opened the door softly and went into the room.
How can I describe what we saw? 
The bodies of two women— Lucy and her mother— lay on the bed. 
The faces of both women were white, and on the mother's face there was a look of terrible fear. 
In her hand she held the flowers from Lucy's neck, and on the floor there was glass from the broken window.
Van Helsing looked down at the two women. ‘The poor mother is dead,’ he said. 
‘But for Lucy it is not too late! Go and wake the servants!’
I ran downstairs to wake them. ‘Put her in a hot bath,’ Van Helsing said.
After a time, Lucy began to show some life, and they took her and put her in a warm bed. 
From time to time she slept, but she did not fight to stay alive. 
She could not eat anything, and she was very weak. 
We sent for Arthur, and when he came, he was very unhappy. 
His father was now dead, and he could see that Lucy was very, very ill. 
One of us sat with Lucy all the time, and that night Arthur and Van Helsing slept in the sitting-room, while I watched over Lucy.
When Van Helsing came back up to me at six o’clock. Arthur was still asleep downstairs. 
Van Helsing went over to Lucy and looked at her. 
‘The wounds on her neck have gone,’ he said. ‘She will soon be dead. Bring Arthur.’ 
When Arthur and I came back, Lucy opened her lovely eyes. ‘Oh, Arthur,’ she said softly. ‘Kiss me, my love.’ 
He moved his head nearer to her, but Van Helsing pulled him back. ‘No!’ he cried. 
For a minute, Lucy's face was hard and angry. She opened her mouth, and her teeth looked very long and sharp. 
Then her eyes closed and she slept. 
Soon she woke again, took Van Helsing's hand and said softly, ‘My true friend.’ And then, quietly, Lucy died.
‘She's gone,’ said Van Helsing, and Arthur put his head in his hands and cried.
Later, I went back into Lucy's room, and Van Helsing and I looked down together at her beautiful face.
‘Poor girl,’ I said. ‘It is the end.’[]‘No,’ he replied. ‘This is only the beginning.’
Some days later there were strange stories in the newspapers, 
stories about young children who went out at night and did not go home until the next morning. 
And when they did go home, they talked about a ‘beautiful lady’. 
All these children had drops of blood and two little wounds on their necks.
Van Helsing read these stories, and he brought the paper round to me. ‘What do you think of that?’ he asked.
‘I don't know,’ I said. ‘These two little wounds sound like poor Lucy's wounds, but how can that be?’
Then Van Helsing explained. At first I could not believe it, and we talked for a long time. 
At last I said, ‘Are you saying that poor Lucy was killed by a vampire, and that now the vampire is taking blood from these children too?’ 
‘No,’ Van Helsing replied. ‘You haven't understood. The vampire which is taking blood from these children is... Lucy herself.’
I was very angry. ‘That's not true!’ I cried.
‘Then come with me,’ he said. ‘And I will show you.’ 
So that night he took me to Lucy's tomb. He had the key and we went inside. 
I was very afraid. In the dark, with the dead flowers lying on Lucy's coffin, the tomb was a terrible place. 
Slowly, Van Helsing began to open the coffin. 
Then he turned to me, and said, ‘Look.’ I came nearer and looked. 
The coffin was empty. For me, it was a terrible surprise, 
but Van Helsing only shook his head. ‘Now we must wait outside,’ he said.
We waited all night. I was cold and afraid, and angry with myself and with Van Helsing. 
Then, suddenly, something white moved in the trees near the tomb. 
We went nearer, and we found a little child on the ground, by the tomb. 
Van Helsing held it out to me, and I looked at its neck. 
‘There are no wounds on the child's neck,’ I said. 
‘No,’ Van Helsing replied. ‘We are just in time.’
The next day. Van Helsing and I went back into the tomb again and opened the lid of the coffin. 
This time Lucy's body lay there. She died more than a week ago— but she did not look dead. 
Her mouth was red and her face was more beautiful than ever. 
Then Van Helsing pulled back her mouth and showed me her long, sharp teeth.
‘Now do you believe me?’ he said. ‘Lucy is now one of the Un-Dead, 
‘and with these teeth she will soon kill one of these poor little children. 
‘We must stop her before she does.’ He stopped for a minute and thought. 
‘But we must send for Arthur. He, too, must see— and believe this.’ 
Arthur was very unhappy, and also angry.
He could not believe that Lucy was now one of the Un-Dead, but in the end he agreed to come with us to the tomb.
It was just before midnight when we got to the churchyard. 
The night was dark, but now and then, a little moonlight came through the clouds. 
Van Helsing opened the door of the tomb and we all went in.
‘Now, Jack,’ he said to me, ‘you were with me yesterday afternoon. Was Miss Lucy's body in that coffin then?’ 
‘It was,’ I replied. Slowly, Van Helsing opened the coffin.
Arthur's face was white when he moved nearer. We all looked down. The coffin was empty!
For a minute, no one spoke. Then Van Helsing said, ‘Now we must go outside and wait.’
It was good to be outside again, away from the dark, smelly tomb. 
We stood and waited in silence. Then, through the trees, we saw something white. It was moving nearer to us. 
Its face was white, its mouth was red, and drops of blood fell from it. 
Suddenly it saw us and stopped. It gave us a look of terrible anger, and Arthur gave a little cry. ‘It's Lucy!’
She smiled. ‘Oh, Arthur, come to me. Leave those others, and come to me, my love,’ she said sweetly.
Arthur took his hands from his face and opened his arms  to her. 
She was moving nearer to him when Van Helsing ran between them, and held out his little gold cross. 
Lucy stopped and stood back from it. 
Then, with a look of terrible anger on her face, she went to the tomb and through the door. 
The door was closed, but she went through it!
‘Now, Arthur, my friend,’ Van Helsing said, ‘do you understand?’
Arthur put his face in his hands and cried, ‘I do! Oh, I do!’
The next day, Arthur, Van Helsing, and I went back to the tomb. 
Van Helsing had a bag with him, and when we were in the tomb, he again opened Lucy's coffin. 
The body lay there, horribly beautiful. 
Arthur was white and he was shaking. ‘Is this really Lucy?’ he asked.
‘It is, and it is not. But wait, and you will see the real Lucy again,’ Van Helsing replied.
He took from his bag a long piece of wood and a hammer. 
Arthur and I stood silent and watched. 
Then Van Helsing said to Arthur, ‘You loved Lucy. You must bring her back to us. 
‘You must take this piece of wood in your left hand, and the hammer in your right hand. 
‘Then you must drive the wood through Lucy's heart. 
‘It isn't easy for you, but it will soon be done. Can you do this for her?’
‘I can,’ Arthur replied strongly.
His face was very pale, but he held the piece of wood over Lucy's heart, and brought the hammer down hard.
The body turned from side to side and a horrible scream came from the open red mouth. Arthur did not stop. 
Harder and harder he hit the wood with the hammer, until, at last, the body stopped moving and lay quiet.
The hammer fell from Arthur's hand, and he stood there, white and shaking. 
Van Helsing went over to him. ‘And now you may kiss her,’ he said. 
‘See! The vampire is dead, and the real Lucy has come back.’
It was true. Lucy's face was pale and still, but it was now quiet and restful. 
Arthur kissed her softly on the mouth, and then Van Helsing closed the coffin again, this time, for ever.
‘Now, my friends,’ Van Helsing said, ‘we have only just begun. 
‘We must find the vampire that killed Miss Lucy. It will be difficult and dangerous. Will you help me?’ 
‘Yes,’ we said. ‘We will.’